National Security

WASHINGTON — As Republican leaders assess a tea party movement that has both energized and polarized their ranks, John McCain takes a generally benign view of the political landscape — but clearly comes down on the side of the traditional establishment rather than with the young rebels. I was eager to catch up with McCain after his searing summer experience of having to fight for the nomination to a fifth term against former Arizona Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a spiritual ally of the tea partiers.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Miami-Dade Republican, issued this statement Friday about his automatic return to Congress. No one qualified to run against him, so he automatically gets a seventh term in the House. His district includes part of southwest Broward. "I am deeply humbled and honored to once again be given the opportunity to serve the residents of Florida's 25th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. I will continue to dedicate all of my energy with effectiveness and integrity to bolster our economy, create jobs, tackle Washington's out of control spending problem, strengthen our national security, and work passionately for our community.

I was shocked by your editorial commending the Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee for proposing to hold in secret the hearings on U.S. prewar intelligence regarding Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. It has become obvious in recent years that our mass media has become simply another government tool for manipulating public opinion. Still, it's dismaying to see a major newspaper arguing for the suppression of accurate information from the public because it might be deemed "political."

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a Broward-Palm Beach County Democrat, is headed to one of the world's hot spots when Congress is off next week for its Easter-Passover recess. Frankel, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will be part of a small congressional delegation of both parties visiting Ukraine. Russia's annexation of Crimea has heightened security tensions with the U.S., which is supporting Ukraine. The delegation will also visit Azerbaijan and Armenia. Frankel and the other committee members will meet with regional leaders and attempt to get an in-person feel for the region in crisis.

I am a man of 72 years. I am retired and live on a fixed income -- not that I am complaining, I am lucky and still have a pension and savings from my 401(k) and my wife and I collect Social Security. We live a comfortable life. We pay a heavy price for our supplemental insurance. We buy our drugs from Canada because they are much cheaper. We checked into Medicare Part D and it is a fiasco. For years we found the drugs and our relationship with our Canadian druggist to our liking. I read that this administration was trying to eradicate this process.

Recently I witnessed something unprecedented in South Florida culture since I moved here 3 years ago. I saw a car stopped by the police on I-95. Considering the high percentage of speeding, tailgating and wildly hazardous driving one routinely encounters, it's one of the mysteries of the ages why one hardly ever sees police cars on South Florida's major thoroughfare. Perhaps it's because I-95 is such an extremely dangerous place that the police try to steer clear of it as much as possible.

The campaign against Social Security is going so badly that longtime critics of President Bush, accustomed to seeing their efforts to point out flaws in administration initiatives brushed aside, are pinching themselves. But they shouldn't relax: If the past is any guide, the Bush administration will soon change the subject back to national security. The political landscape today reminds me of the spring of 2002, after the big revelations of corporate fraud. Then as now, the administration was on the defensive, and Democrats expected to do well in midterm elections.

It may still come to be known popularly as the High-Tech Trojan Horse Act of 1998. The Senate's week-old decision to hike by 30,000 the number of six-year visas for specialized workers from abroad over the next four months may actually be another ticking immigration time bomb left on the nation's doorstep by Congress. Any hope that the House would heed concerns that more foreign workers in certain skilled and professional fields would displace U.S. workers began to evaporate after the House immigration subcommittee approved a companion measure expanding the "H1-B" immigration program.

Gasoline prices are headed upward -- again. Perhaps it'll bring more urgency to the nation's energy debate. After tripping the $3 mark in South Florida last year, gasoline prices fell to "manageable" levels, around $2.20 per gallon on average. The drop-off in prices also helped deflate motorist anger, and so the energy policy debate shifted to global warming fears. That's a shame. The reality is whether one worries about rising temperatures across the planet or not, the United States needs an energy policy that drives down the thirst to import fuel.

A recent letter writer complained about costs of defense and intelligence programs, claiming that there was collusion in keeping such spending from being cut. That sort of undefendable assertion needs to be brought up short with the facts. In fact, the federal government may have many purposes, but national security has to be the most serious of them all. According to Forbes Magazine (Nov. 17), total federal spending in 1991 was 22.6 percent of gross domestic product and for 1997 will be 20.3 percent (estimated)

The debate on the Keystone XL pipeline has been vigorous, yet President Obama continues to stall approval of the project. Here in Florida, U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy has been a strong advocate for the Keystone XL pipeline and has correctly identified jobs benefits and potential boosts to small businesses that construction will bring. His favorable floor vote for the pipeline, along with 18 other Democrats, clearly demonstrated his commitment toward a strong energy policy. On behalf of Florida's Veterans for Energy, we commend Rep. Murphy for his position on the pipeline.

Last week: We confirmed that the United States has no credible foreign policy in the Middle East. In addition, we send Secretary of State John Kerry as a supplicant to Europe, rather than taking immediate forceful action in the United Nations to see whether a diplomatic solution in Syria is possible, forcing Moscow's hand. Have we abandoned our efforts to aid the resistance in Syria? Because of our indecision, they were immediately subjected to increased air strikes. Syria has been emboldened by our inaction and indecisiveness.

I suppose Edward Snowden should be congratulated, in a way, for creating a national furor by exposing widespread government surveillance activities of average citizens in the name of national security. If what Snowden sought by his actions was a national self-examination of how government by, of and for the people discharges its responsibility to protect the nation, then he succeeded. As it turns out, everybody dropped the ball - especially our elected officials in Congress who were supposed to provide oversight on our behalf.

How much cooperation really exists today between Israel and the United States on defense matters? Boca Raton -based Citizens for National Security, in cooperation with the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), will explore the issue at a March 17 seminar, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca Raton . The event will feature a presentation by IDF Lt. Col. Assaf Navot, assistant defense attache to the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Navot will deliver a briefing on Israel defense security, with a special focus on missile defense, and on the long and lasting cooperation with the United States.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, was named to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Friday. Frankel, who was sworn in Thursday to represent parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, said the Foreign Affairs panel would "allow me to work on issues related to national security and international relations that are important to South Florida," including Israel and efforts to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program. The panel oversees the State Department and also has some jurisdiction over the Commerce and Defense departments.

In a town hall meeting that began with two children leading the pledge of allegiance in Deerfield Beach City Hall, U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, reiterated the positions that helped him unseat incumbent Democrat Ron Klein two years ago in a bid for Congress: a conservative approach to government and to government spending. West, Florida's first Black congressman since reconstruction, reviewed the litany of threats to domestic security during his Feb. 22 question-and-answer session, which played to a receptive crowd.

Rep. Jane Harman, member of Congress, meet Alice Bellamy, member of the cafeteria staff down in the basement of the Rayburn House Office Building. The perceptions of these two Capitol Hill women about national security could not be more different. Harman, a California Democrat who comes from a heavily defense-dependent district, is an ardent supporter of weapons like the $2.2 billion B-2 stealth bomber. In the great paneled and plush-carpeted chamber of the House of Representatives, she has proclaimed, "As a parent, I am convinced that we must field and fully fund the most effective and survivable weapons systems.

President Barack Obama on Thursday pledged to forge ahead with plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, dealing with detainees through a range of options including release, imprisonment at high-security American prisons, trials in federal courts and military commissions - and, for some, prolonged and even indefinite detention. Obama said his administration is in the process of devising "clear, defensible and lawful standards" for inmates who cannot be prosecuted for past crimes but who still pose a security threat to the U.S. He added: "I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people."

Source: Rick Santorum: The Courage to Fight for America website, January 19, 2012

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum responded to the Obama Administration's rejection of the Keystone Pipeline: "Today's decision by the Obama Administration is but another capitulation to the radical environmental fringe  and it's putting our national security and economy at risk. Our nation needs energy and this pipeline will provide this much needed resource. In rejecting this responsible project that will create thousands of American jobs, we are simply diverting this energy to our international competitors like China.

South Florida's congressional delegation can play a key role in helping hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Haitian-Americans in Haiti and the United States by strongly urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and President Obama to end a glaring double standard. Before last January's quake, DHS had approved immigrant visa petitions for about 55,000 Haitians who nevertheless remain in Haiti today, and in danger from cholera, tent city conditions, and environmental and political turmoil.